Video: "You have been silent for 44 days, now why are you silent?" Protest by displaced Artsakh residents

Residents displaced from Artsakh held a protest today, February 18, in Republic Square in Yerevan and near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They demand to finally be granted refugee status, as they see no other way forward.

The Artsakh residents are protesting against a recent decision by the Armenian government, which proposed to provide state support for families displaced from certain regions of Artsakh as a result of the 44-day war, aimed at purchasing property through a mortgage or building private residential houses.

"They tell us they are giving a loan at 12 percent, but I don’t want a loan; I want my home. With 80,000 drams, I can't even cover my utility bills; who needs a house on credit? I have lost my home, and 12 percent is not advantageous. I live here on rent, they used to give 25,000 drams in support, but they said it was too much, and now it’s been reduced to 20,000. They don’t even hire us for work; women over 35 are not accepted for jobs. I don’t understand, are women over 35 supposed to be executed or what?" said a woman from Shushi.

She addressed the international community: "You have been silent for 44 days, now why are you silent? The President of Artsakh is being threatened now that they will steal from him; what will happen to our situation then?"